A lengthy camel ride from Dubai stands an old cricket stadium, unloved and,
for a long time in the Noughties, unused. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium was
once a hub for itinerant international cricketers, 167 one-day
internationals being played there between 1984 and 2000, but these days it
hosts only the occasional Test and Afghanistan’s “home” matches. It has
become something of a pariah.

Certainly, Pakistan and England were unwilling to play there this time,
preferring Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The reason? Sharjah is a tainted ground. By
common consent, it was here that match-fixing became a real problem, in
tournaments